India's Lakshya Sen Storms Into All England Open Final after a semi final thriller

 


India’s Lakshya Sen reached the final of the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships, setting up another shot at the historic title. On Saturday, he defeated Canada’s Victor Lai 21–16, 18–21, 21–15 in a gripping semifinal.

The world No. 12 did not have it easy, spending one hour and 37 minutes on court before sealing the victory. Lai, who had won a bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in Paris last year, pushed Sen hard before the Indian shuttler prevailed.

This is the second time Sen has reached the final of the tournament. He had also made the summit clash in 2022 but had to settle for the silver medal. This time, he will face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-yi in the title match.

Only two Indians have won the All England title so far — Prakash Padukone in 1980 and Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Apart from them, Prakash Nath (1947) and Saina Nehwal (2015) finished as runners-up.

Sen has been in superb form throughout the tournament. In the opening round he stunned world No. 1 Shi Yuqi, and in the quarterfinals he knocked out world No. 6 Li Shifeng. Against Lai, Sen showcased remarkable mental strength, solid defence and precise strokeplay despite some leg cramps in the 2nd half of the match . The match also featured an extraordinary 86-shot rally.

The contest began with a demanding 52-shot rally, setting the tone for a fiercely contested match in which neither player was willing to give an inch. Both tried to break each other’s defence, while Sen relied on high lifts and sudden bursts of pace to win points. With the score finely balanced, Sen surged ahead to make it 18–16 before taking the first game.

In the second game, Sen trailed 3–4 and had to receive on-court treatment after developing a blister on his foot. After play resumed, Lai raced to a 9–4 lead. Sen gradually fought his way back with strong baseline play to level the score at 16–16, but could not close out the game.

Sen started the deciding game strongly, taking a 4–2 lead before Lai fought back again. A marathon 86-shot rally at that stage went Sen’s way and proved to be a turning point. As the match progressed, Lai began to show signs of fatigue, and Sen capitalised on it to secure victory and book his place in the final. 

Lakshya Sen could hardly move towards the end of the match. He was battling cramps and foot blisters but he somehow found a way to get over the line. He beat Victor Lai 21-16 18-21 21-15 in a brutal hour & 37 minute long match to reach the final of the All England Championships...an example of top level resilience

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